Apologies to our international readers, but this post is going to be a bit of “inside baseball” for our US readers. In fact, this might be the most US-centric disclaimer of a US-centric post ever.
Superman is my favorite superhero. He might even be my favorite fictional character in all of literature. There are a lot of reasons for this, but that’s not the point of this article. Instead, I’d like to show you an image that popped upon on social media a while ago, almost in response to the vehement refusals of some politicians and citizens against any attempt to save Syrian refugees by bringing them to the US.
What Superman is defending in this image is the idea that the United States was built as nation of immigrants, a nation that finds its strength in diversity. This, of course, is a fundamental element of Superman’s mythos.
Superman: Immigrant from Beyond the Stars
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman, were both the children of immigrants, and so their greatest creation was likewise an immigrant, though of a more grand nature: Superman was from an alien world. The last son of the dead planet Krypton, Superman was adopted by a family in a small Kansas town, and he fully adopted the United States.
Superman is one of the most popular avatar’s of the United States, and yet he is an immigrant. In fact, he was sent across the border by his birth parents illegally and remains so today, since the Kent’s never adopted him, but merely passed him off as their own. He wasn’t naturalized, though in some versions he did married a US citizen, Lois Lane.
And while I’m trying to write a one-sided argument against those who decry illegal immigration, my point is that our diversity makes us stronger, makes us better. Even super. When people fight against diversity and multiculturalism, they are fighting one of our greatest humans strengths.
Can I prove this? Not historically, but I can give you a bit of biblical evidence.
Super Duper Unity
In Genesis 11, we see that a unified humanity, cleansed by the flood but still broken, is capable of anything. They have begun to built a tower to reach up into heaven. This is far darker than it appears. At best, they are essentially trying to make their own way back to God, to undo the Fall on their own terms under their own power. At worst, they are trying to storm Heaven and become God for themselves, so it’s basically eating the fruit of Eden a second time.
That’s when God decided that a united, broken, depraved humanity was too dangerous to be allowed to continue. He divided us into different language groups and cause us to disperse across the globe.* He divided us for our good, but where did the hatred and fear come into place? What spawned the scourge of racism? That depraved humanity heart of ours. Without God’s love within us, we turn inexorably toward selfishness, seeking our best at the expense of others, and who would qualify as more “other” than those who don’t sound, act, or look like us?
So we push and we shove, like children, to get our way, except that, unlike children, we do this on a large scale against whole groups of people, individuals we’ve never meet, and we do a whole heck of a lot more than push and shove. We oppress, dehumanize, disenfranchise, and even demonize others because they’re different.
[From Lois Lane is Curious and Black]
That’s why, in this context, I’m so proud of my Pentecostal tradition because it was William J. Seymour, an African-American, who was at the center of the Asuza Street Revival, from which my church ultimately finds its origins. Furthermore, to Seymour, one of the most convincing proofs of the Holy Spirit’s presence in an individual and a church would be the disintegration of racial barriers. Sadly, this hasn’t happened yet, and Seymour’s own ministry was stifled by racism.
And yet, the dream leaves on, and one day, we will stand as a diverse body, united in Christ, with His heart having replaced the broken and depraved heart that lead us to this place of hatred and fear.
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”Revelation 7:9-10
Superman says that being diverse is a key feature of being “All-American,” and it seems that the Kingdom of God will function much the same in this regard. All nationalities, tongues, and tribes will be represented, reflecting the infinite glory of God in the diversity of our cultural expressions of praise.
Conclusion
Superman is an illegal alien of the highest order. He’s stronger, faster, and smarter than every citizen in the country. Sure, anyone can grow up to be President, but no one can grow up to be Superman. He couldn’t be more different than the “average American,” and yet who better represents what the US stands for than this corn-fed Kryptonian who fights for “truth, justice, and the American way”? Captain America? Maybe, but we can get to that later.
For now, let’s all just focus on being All-American, being super, being more Kingdom-minded by embracing diversity as a means of ushering in His Kingdom and reflecting, now, the glory that awaits us all. Let’s seek God for the grace to see the divine image in other men and women so that we might recognize that they, too, are loved by God and that we, as God’s creation, are stronger united than divided.
*Where did ethnicity come from? That’s a whole other topic, and if you want my best answer hit me up in the comments.
Eric Dye says
That was super.
Phil Schneider says
I see what you did there. 😉
Allen Allnoch says
Phil, well-said. Our church in Columbus, Georgia is hosting a conference in May on this very topic. See http://www.converge214.org/ for details. Would you mind if we published your post on our conference blog (with credit to you, of course)?
Phil Schneider says
Hey, Allen. Thanks for the compliment! Glad you’re church is doing its part to help. We can’t let you post the whole the text, but if you wanted to post the introduction with a link to the full text that would be fine. Or if you’d like, I can summarize the unity section as a teaser for the full text.
Allen Allnoch says
OK, I can just write a short intro and link to it. It will be a good way to show our audience that others are talking about this issue, too. Thanks.
Phil Schneider says
Very cool, Allen. Thanks!
Helene says
My 14 year old read this over my shoulder this morning and we both agree that this was excellent. Thanks for taking a biblical view of an American problem!
Phil Schneider says
Helene, thank you so much! I truly appreciate your comment.